Just not in the mood

 

 

My baby is not well....my beagle - cola

We took her to the vet on Wednesday and she was not right...they kept her and put her on drip...and then over the next few days she went from bad diarrhea to kidney failure,  to bad kidney infection and a urinary infection and not eating.

We picked her up on Saturday...her kidney's better but still not eating, they thought she might eat this special diet at home...now on a special diet she wont eat.

My girl turns 15 years old in November...thats 73 in human years (some argue that its 105)

There is no way I can deny she is not my usual hungry beagle who I have to lock out of the laundry while I feed the cats...who goes for her morning walk and when we turn for home...she knows she is heading back for the left over cat food...this weekend..she has not even blinked an eye in the direction of the cats food

She wont eat the food the vets want her ot eat....some bland dired up can of gunk (but pepsi likes it...fo figure!!) we have given her chiken...a bit of pork....but she is just not the same doggy she was last week.

Just time now to see if she comes back to being my puppy cola

 

 

Hong Kong

 

 Oh my how I love Hong Kong. If I could I would go back tomorrow and explore all the places we never got a chance to. I think, other than wonderful Wellington...I could easily say I would live there. Apart from Vanuatu after we win lotto of course :)

Arrived late afternoon on our first day, settled into the hotel room and wondered out for dinner....The next day up and out there we go................I had done all this research before we had left nz...it resulted in me printing out a 45 page (double sided) book of things to do and places to see.

Found a wonderful site that gave instructions street by street, bus stop by bus stop, ferry by ferry description of how to get to different places.

This day brought the walk called "Central and Western District - This Hong Kong Walk is also very well known as "Travel Through Time" and travel through time we did...from streets with all sorts of dried food, to shops with antiques, to the more modern convenience of escalator after escalator taking us up up up.

Was a rather hot day....and we walked for miles....we promised ourselves to go back but never did. We brought tiger balm patches you can place on your body to ease the pain of strains and aches....they are life savers for djd when he hurts his back :) In fact I think we had to use them occassionally in Hong Kong :)

After the escalators came a wonder garden....and then a walk back down the hill to catch the MTR back to the hotel, to allow two rather weary travellers time to recover :)

Trolley buses...one of the oldest forms of transport

Only a tourist would find this interesting :)

You strange tourists you....

Dried food everywhere :)

If you let your imagintion go wild you wont see nuckles and a bone :)

Ancient Hong Kong surrounded by the new Hong Kong.....a temple in a city

and inside the old with the young

We found our wonderful park from our last visit...you would not believe how small this monkey really was

We sat in this park looking out over the water fountain...catching our breath and soaking up the scenery

A sign of modern Hong Kong

How much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thats 4 million in kiwi dollars thats 2.5 million USD

Maybe it was the view they could see that  I couldn't see that made it that pirce????

and that was our day in Hong Kong :)

2 days in Brunei - warning there are a few pictures

We arrived tired but happy to be there. Flew Royal Brunei.....I had read some very mixed views on this airline....there was some good and bad ...the seats were a bit small for us slightly larger than the average person :) but the food was nice the staff were lovely and being a alcohol free country....so was their airline...and I have to say it was actually really pleasant not to have loud, raucous drunk people on the plane....everyone was well behaved and mostly slept. Even me and djd got some shut eye on the way over.....unfortunately the same can not be said for the trip back :(

Cindy our tour guide picked us up from the airport and chatted all the way to the hotel...about 15minute ride...pointing out all the European restaurants along the way....thinking thats where we would be interested in eating at....no actually we want local food.....ane we certainly did eat local food while there.

the hotel was spectacular....just sorry I didn't get a picture of the magnificent chandilier that was hanging over the lobby.

After the sleep we were off to the water village and up the river.

I could have spent a day just going up and down that river.....the speed of the trip up the river was thrilling and the animal life at the waters edge was fascinating. I must admit I didn't take piccies of the wildlife on the river....one I had the wrong lens on and even though I could have swapped it over...I was just soaking it all in with my eyes. But djd did and thank goodness he did as the memories come flooding back when I look at them :)

It was growing dark as we ate our dinner at the riverside at the night food stalls. Really interesting food - so glad we ate there. Then back into the car and a drive around to see the lights that were on display in honour of the Sultans birthday - all the month of August was the Sultans birthday....now thats one hell of a party isn't it :)

The night time shots of the mosques and then off to the last market of the night....I was just too tired at this stage though...hot, sweaty and just wanted my bed....djd was happily walking around taking snaps of people and the market life...and I would have as well except he was a foot taller than the people around him and more able to get the shots in...and men seem to be more accepted in Brunei...not that I didnt feel welcome but men definitely hold a higher esteem in their society.

The next day was spent mostly in the city just touring around Museums.....one was ok but after the 3rd....we were getting a bit sick of them :)

we drove back to the Sultans palace to have a look at it in the daylight....I saw this very cute looking light and this very somber man!

Last stop......the mosque from last night so we could climb the tower!!! 300 steps up and surprising enough 300 down :) I got the privilage of walking them on my own :)

Boy was it hot, stuffy and very exhausting....but first there was a quick sneaky look into the mosque itself....there I was cooking in the heat again and I had to put on a black robe to cover my entire body.....phew....still I got to look into the pray room.....what a huge area.....and the carpet was especially made to set out a square area for the kneeling to pray ......and not only that but it was made in New Zealand! we were only allowed to stand inside the doorway though and not step onto the carpet.

From there the trail up the stairs....but can you spot the picture I took of djd outside waiting for me?? :-)

My first rest for breath!

My 2nd rest for breath

The 3rd

the 4th

I made it, I'm level with the domes!!!

And on my way down.....I spy with my little eye

I'm up here...look at me!!!!!

And that was Brunei really....wish we had gone up the river again the second day...as there were other trips that did this but sometimes you just don't know what to expect and do the best you can....next time...definitely up the river and an overnight stay!

Hong Kong here we come.....yippeeeeee

Like Riding A Bike

So whats changed in town?? hmmm not much :)

Have I changed...hmm not much probalby a good thing..except for the weight which is neither going up nor down

Has much changed around the house...well apart from a great ruddy big vege garden starting to emerge on the top of our section...not much else which means we have done nothing about upgrading anything on the inside like we should

How are the pets...well Cola the beagle is older....gets to do things her way....gets away with far too much and as we come home each day we hold our breath until we hear the bark from the garage

Pepsi the mixed up huntawy- poor pepsi she has a bad case of arthritis in one of her back legs and her muscles are getting weaker and weaker...she still loves her walks but hobbles alot more and will be on drugs now until it all gets too much

George the king of cats- well that cat seems like he will live forever and shows no signs of being old except to sleep all day...what a life :)

Mickey the cat who adopted us! - she seems to be getting older...put on a bit of weight even...even took to eating a bit of cat meat...stops her chasing the birds...she will last for years to come

so for anyone who is interested and hasn't been to djd's page we recently went on the most fabulous holiday to Brunei for a couple of nights and then on to Hong Kong for 10days....it was just the best best best holiday. Would it be my most favourite...hmmm thats a hard one but it sure is one to beat!

Now all I have to do is get my photo's organised. But here is a taste of some from the first day/night being there

 

 

A water village.....houses on stilts with wooden plank walkways connecting everything just like streets and footpaths where I was caught and taking pictures and waved at :)

and there are always flowers about

Mosques abound...but these two were particularly pretty at night

And this tower...the next day I would get to enjoy walking up the 300 steps to the top...there's more to that story :)

So I guess writing and posting pictures is a bit like riding a bike...one never seems to forget how to do it.

I was tagged and now I have no one to tag - how sad!

I've been tagged by my ever loving sister, she is so thoughtful always passing onto me the best things in life

First:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

2. Each participant posts eight random facts about themselves.

3. Tagees should write a blogpost of eight random facts about themselves.

4. At the end of the post, eight more bloggers are tagged (named and shamed).

5. Go to their blog, leave a comment telling them they're tagged (cut and run).

1. I am 4ft 11 and half inches tall. Of course I then equate this to 5ft cause who the heck would admit to being under 5ft. However I love being small. Always enjoyed it and it was to my great advantage when I was young and discovered gymnastics. I was pretty good at it too

2. My mother remarried when I was 11 or 12 (never too good on the years :) and I craved a father as my own had died when I was five. When we moved towns in my 12th year I wanted to be known with my step-fathers surname. So he adopted me. This was never an issue until I divorced in my 36th year and didn’t want to go to his surname as he had died when I was 18 and the last few years were not good ones. Unfortunately he had a stroke and it changed his whole personality it was all very sad really. So to be able to use my birth name I had to change my surname by deed pole. Talk about and interesting circle to go to a name that is rightfully mine

3. I married young and learned to regret it. Isn’t that awfully sad. There are many people who say but I wouldn’t change a thing….well apart from my extremely adorable daughter who drives me mad….I would change everything. The things I should have done, the advise I should have taken, no I would not live the same life over from the age of 19 but do it all so very differently. Travel for one….I would have gone to the States and Canada like I had started to dream about. I would have qualified as a librarian……today I could be a knowledge manager :)

4. I have fallen in love with the art of photography. I just can’t spend enough time on it. I would love to do this so it would pay my way in life but fear that only through a win at lotto would I be able to fulfill this dream.

5. My nick name as a child was Jilly Bean….I am pretty sure my father gave me this name but I have no idea why. I miss not having the memories of my older siblings and each time I talk to them or read a diary entry I learn something new yet again. I do care about the things of the past but don’t always go out of my way to find out about them

6. We were just talking about this tonight but I first got familiar with the internet and a home computer 15years ago. Over years as the world wide web grew I grew along with it. I met my sweet adorable djd on the net at a time when it was an unheard of thing and certainly a thing if you told somebody they were incredibly shocked and curious as to how and why. Now it such a common thing people don’t bat an eyelid

7. I’ve often thought I should be lesbian…ok so I said this one to shock my sister…did it work?

8. I have found it incredibly difficult to come up with 8 random facts and I don’t have 8 people to tag that have not already been tagged so a blog written for….well self esteem surely!!

Rather sad

A couple of things have been happening over the last few weeks.

Daughter SAE had her tonsils out. She's 19. I took time off work to look after her, everyone from doctors, work collegues to friends told me that it was not going to be a good time for her....that it is quite painful as an adult to have this done.

Yep thats what I need a daughter who already is miserable when it comes to pain and has had 5 operations in her short life and is absolutely over having ops. She always vomits when coming out of the anesthetic that we were all worried about this due to it being her tonsils they would be removing and she would have a nice raw throat.

SAE got wheeled away and she looked so nervous and worried....my poor wee lamb :( She got wheeled back 2 hours later, doped up the gills with pain killers and drugs to stop her being ill. She just slept and slept. I went home. Back the next day to pick her up and take her back to my place to look after her for the next few days.

2 weeks it took for her to really come right. So much for the second week being a holiday...running round after her. Even our overnight stay in another town didnt work out when she had some bleeding from her throat. But when she tells me she is too old for me to be telling her to go to bed I knew it was time for her to go back to her flat as she was obviously up to looking after herself now.

And then something that is so wonderful and a joyous occassion made me rather sad. My wonderful older sister Chiefbiscuits son announced his wedding in 10 days time (last week that is). The wedding was yesterday. I looked at the logistics of going down but having just had two weeks off work and the cost of the trip to Dunedin costing more money than I care to disclose I made the call not to go. Then Friday morning arrived and I wished I was there. I almost just booked a ticket right then and there and bugger the cost...I would have liked to have been there.... but I look forward to October to the reception they have decided to have then.

Sigh....felt rather sentimental yesterday...I wonder if thats just age making you realise that sometimes you only get to see and do things only once and therefore you should go for it.

I have become far to sensible in my old age. It has to stop I say :)

Well the day is a wasting....we are off with camera's in hand to see what we can see :)

Then I have a webpage to start getting into again

Bye for now diary

Moving on

I had another diary on another site. Somehow over the years I moved away from writing for me and writing instead for a virtual auidence instead. This was ok in the beginning I enjoyed entertaining.

But somewhere along the way it became a task! a chore! to have to write in my diary. I even had people asking me where I was and would I please write....well actually no...I cant be arsed! Ok that may be a little harsh...after all I had set the scene and encouraged it over the 4 odd years I had been writing.

It also became a chore! and task! to read their writings and comment on there entries....I had a small list of favourites compared to some others but these people seemed to live on the diary and write just about everyday.....it became something I felt obliged to do but something I didnt want to do. It got to the stage of either skim reading, picking up on one small thing they had written about making a comment or worse visiting their diary reading and just moving on.

I just didnt want to play that game anymore......however....being rather selfish as well.....when I did write I would be looking for their comments....getting pissed off if they hadn't read and left a comment but had managed to write an entry themselves. I guess I'm a bit two faced, want my cake and eat it too....all those things and more.

So I have moved on. I'm going to start writing here and nobody apart from my sister and my partner will know that I am here for now. I dont think it will take me long before I crave comments from others about what I have written but for now I can just write for me :)

Besides all that its going to take sometime to get used to this layout. Change is good but not being quick anymore is not! First thing is trying to get the profile page to how I like it?!?!?!?

Oh well till next time diary :)